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Tanker boarded by US forces
On Feb 9, 2026, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the 'Aquila II', enroute from Visakhaoatnam, without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility in the Indian Ocean. The 'Aquila II' was operating against the US established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. The Department of War tracked and hunted the vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean. The 'Aquila II' was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Jan 10, 2025, as blocked property linked to Russia’s energy sector. Treasury identified the vessel as owned by Sunne Co Limited, a company sanctioned under Executive Order 14024 on Jan 10, 2025, or activity in Russia’s energy sector. On the same day, the United States imposed restrictions on the tanker as property in which the company has an interest. The ship was also under sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Ukraine, and Switzerland. As of July 17, 2025, the vessel’s flag was listed as unknown, although it has been operating under the Panamanian flag. The vessel had departed Venezuela on Jan 3, operating under the alias name 'Cape Balder' and partially laden with crude oil, as one of at least 16 tankers that left Venezuelan ports in defiance of the U.S.-imposed maritime blockade under Operation Southern Lance. Treasury has previously accused Sunne-controlled tankers of engaging in high-risk shipping practices and moving oil priced above the G7’s $60-per-barrel cap. The network has repeatedly shifted vessel names, flags, and ownership structures to evade enforcement while continuing to move sanctioned Russian, Venezuelan, and Iranian oil. Report with photos: https://kyivindependent.com/us-boards-venezuela-linked-shadow-fleet-tanker-in-indian-ocean/ https://x.com/DeptofWar/status/2020833550488965503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2020833550488965503%7Ctwgr%5Ed10c468418c2a8971ad5c5ef5cac1960c5669e17%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraaf.nl%2Fbuitenland%2Fvs-enteren-verdacht-schip-dat-vaart-onder-panamese-vlag-in-indische-oceaan-amerikaanse-sancties-genegeerd%2F130477559.html
Sanctioned dark fleet tankers leaving Venezuelan waters despite US lockade
Venezuela’s oil exports have continued despite the attempts of the US government to impose one of the largest maritime quarantines in modern history. A fleet of tankers has adopted clandestine tactics to slip past U.S. naval patrols, raising questions about the effectiveness of the blockade and the risks of an escalation at sea. It also hinted at a sophisticated coordination among the tankers concerned. At least 16 oil tankers, long idled at Venezuelan terminals, have weighed anchor almost simultaneously before heading into open waters. The move was a coordinated effort in order to overwhelm the U.S. interdiction capacities. Some of the tankers appeared off the coast of Afric,a while they were in fact departing Venezuelan waters. Others transmitted dual signals, showing up in two positions at once. In several cases, crews have repainted the hulls of the vessels with false names, further complicating an identification, while spoofing and GNSS manipulation have become routine tools for these operators. Among the ships identified in the breakout were the 'Veronica III' (IMO: 9326055), with unknown and linked to Venezuela, belonging to the sanctioned fleet and having departed in ‘dark mode’, the 'Vesna' (IMO: 9233349), belonging to the sanctioned fleet, which spoofed AIS coordinates, and the 'Aquila II', belonging to the sanctioned fleet , which appeared thousands of miles away via false signals.
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